Set in the distant future, Memoirs Found in a Bathtub is the horrifying first-hand account of a bureaucratic agent trapped deep within the subterranean bowels of a vast underground military complex. In a Kafkaesque maelstrom of terrifying confusion and utter insanity, this man must attempt to follow his mission directives of conducting an "on-the-spot investigation. Verify. Search. Destroy. Incite. Inform. Over and out. On the nth day nth hour sector n subsector n rendezvous with N."

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But we have more than just that to talk about this week! Tom and I have also been reading Pattern Recognition and Spook Country, both by former S&L author William Gibson. Have you read either of them? What are your thoughts?
And we have sad news... author Michael Crichton has passed away. Join the discussion on the forums about his life and works.
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Check out Audible!
Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary. In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio. Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free.

Long show tonight, so I'll keep the blog post short! In case you haven't finished the book yet, there are SPOILERS in this podcast for Neal Stephenson's Anathem, so beware! Don't forget to take a look at the ever-growing Wikia page for Anathem.
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We also want to congratulate Michael M., who won the last contest (and wins a Logitech headset!). Here is his winning closing sentence:
"With palpable relief Schuman slumped over the rail waiting for the pool of magma to close over the briefcase and reflected to himself that he still hadn’t had a cup of coffee."
That's a book I'd like to read! We also want to remind you of our special offer from Audible for the first story in the original audiobook, METAtropolis!
We'll be going back to a regular weekly or bi-weekly format now, so look for Tom's pick for the next book soon!
Check out Audible!
Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary. In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio. Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free.

While they aren't a sponsor, Audible.com has been kind enough to treat Sword and Laser fans to a free download of the first story from their new Metatropolis series. So we said, why not?! METAtropolis is an interesting project. It's an original audiobook, meaning there's no print version. The stories are published directly to audio. The first story is entitled “In the Forest of the Night” written by Jay Lake (author of “Mindspring“) and features the voice of Michael Hogan better known to many of you as Colonel Tigh from Battlestar Galatica. The complete audio book, featuring five unabridged novellas will be released on Oct. 21, 2008.
Go here to download the first story of the audio book. No credit card required, though you will have to create an account. Hey they wanna get something out of you for free.
Don't feel like registering for an account? No problem. Audible's also throwing in a free sample of another story from METAtropolis called “To Hie From Far Cienia” by Karl Schroder (read by Stefan Rudnicki). This isn't the whole story, but there's nothing required except to click to download.
Download sample of "To Hie from far Ciena"
Let us know what you think of the series, and the idea of free stuff like this in the comments!

Welcome back everyone! So, I'm still trying to figure out why my audio sounds like crap, while Tom sounds great. It's especially grating since, you know, I'm supposed to be an audio producer and all. How embarrassing! We'll work it out soon, I promise. Anyhow, here's the show:
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Book #8 is going to be Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. The two interesting things about this book are that a) it's super long and b) it's only available in hardcover and Kindle versions. We're also going to give everyone some more time than usual to get through this 900-someodd page book.
CONTEST
Here's the poll for the Best Closing Line Contest! Here are the choices:
1. Michael H. -- A smile crept into his eyes and with his walking stick in one hand, and the orb faintly glowing in the other, Gabriel set off across the street, scanning the horizon for traffic, and making a mental note to take better care next time he bought a tchochki from a Devonian Barkeep.
2. Michael M. -- With palpable relief Schuman slumped over the rail waiting for the pool of magma to close over the briefcase and reflected to himself that he still hadn't had a cup of coffee.
3. Shane G. -- And it came to pass in the last days of the lost colony that the swords were broken and the lasers died and the people cried out to the unhearing heavens from which they had come saying, "If any remain among the stars, for your lives, do not part the quantum jelly!"
4. Gregory F. -- After the dust had settled and the sound of battle waned, Sabrina and Julia found each other amongst the ruins. The sisters then knew they had won, and once again evil would sleep.
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The winner gets a Logitech USB Headset!
FROM THE NING GROUP

Frogg
Lately, I have been doing a good chunk of my reading on the bus on my way to work. Whenever I leave the house, I always have my iPod on me, so I find myself listening to music while reading. Does anyone else do this, and if so, what do you listen to?

I usually shy away from anything with lyrics. It makes it hard to concentrate if I get caught up listening to the words, so most of my reading is done listening to post-rock stuff like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Esmerine, etc. Recently I have been on a William Gibson kick, and ambient electronic music such as Boards of Canada or Apparat go very well with it.terpkristin
I can't listen to music while I read, even something without lyrics. If I try, I soon find myself humming along with what I'm listening to and not paying attention to what I'm reading.

CHECK OUT AUDIBLE!
Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary. In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio. Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free.
Stay tuned for more info on METAtropolis, from Audible!
Featuring:
Battlestar Galactica Cast Members:
Michael Hogan
Alessandro Juliani
Kandyse McClure
Legendary audiobook narrators:
Scott Brick (Frank Herbert’s Dune)
Stefan Rudnicki (Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game)

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Hey everyone! We're back, and recording from the New Media Expo in Las Vegas (OK, we were there last week, it took me some time to get this posted...). We've just finished up Watership Down, and we hope you enjoyed it. Tom is going all dictator on us next time around, so he'll be posting his choice for the next book soon! Here are the show notes:
Bunnies as a community
The interactions are based on real rabbit behavior, but there is a lot of humanity in them to make us able to grasp their situations/feelings etc.
What do you think of the blend?
The stories of El-Haraihrah
Mike - I think my favorite segments of the book are the stories about El-Ahrairah. He is quick and clever, not above a prank or two and fiercely loyal to his people. In many ways his stories reminded me of Sūn Wùkōng (Monkey King) from Journey to the West (although to be fair El-Ahrairah is a little less irrepressable).
Why do you think Adams put these segments in? Do they just fill more pages? Does the addition of the mythology add depth and meaning to the rabbit society and characters? What do you think?
Sh1mm3r - I thought of the mythological trickster at first, but I think El-Ahrairah is unique in that he uses his trickster abilities to protect his "people." I like how the stories add a mythology to the rabbit culture, but also seem to encourage and inspire them to solve their own problems creatively.
Disappointed in Fiver
Sam! - I feel like Adams made a promise to us as his audience. He's presented us with a warren of rabbits, living in what seem to be our world, doing all of the things that real rabbits do... except for Fiver. He's the one who starts us on our journey and ultimately moves us along throughout the entire novel. (sandelford, cowslip, the fox, hazel's shooting and rescue, even his blessing of the trip to efrafa). In each scenario, his predictions turn out to be spot on. Adams' promise was that this one outside force (fiver) was there for a reason that would be made clear before the story finished.
My question is simply.. Did he keep to his promise? Do we, as an audience, believe in fiver as a rabbit of the watership down warren... or do we view him as a storytelling mechanic used to take us from act to act? Why is it that Fiver alone (with the arguable exception of one of the efrafan does) has this magic ability? And, further, is the ability justified?
Nick W - I found fiver added a large amount of interest to the story due to how very dark his predictions were, the hill covered in blood, the ceiling held up with bones, but even though he added interest he did seem simply like a tool to guide the story along.
It seems like Adams tossed the other doe in efrafa in so as to say "See, he's not the only one that can do this". I would of believed his abilities more (and seen him less as a tool) if all of the rabbits had some psychic ability, Fiver's just being extra strong.
Perhaps Fiver discovered a worm that excreted a powerful spice.
Metaphors?
Adams has said he did not intend Watership Down as a metaphor. But many paralels can be drawn?
Totalitarian/Militaristic Society
Rebellion
The Heroes JourneyWikipedia entry draws parallels to hero journey stories like the Odyssey.
Tolkien scholar John Rateliff calls Adams's novel an Aeneid "what-if" book: what if the seer Cassandra (Fiver) had been believed and she and a company had fled Troy (Sandleford Warren) before its destruction? What if Hazel and his companions, like Aeneas, encounter a seductive home at Cowslip's Warren (Land of the Lotus Eaters)? Rateliff goes on to compare the rabbits' battle withWoundwort's Efrafans to Aeneas's fight with Turnus's Latins. "By basing his story on one of the most popular books of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Adams taps into a very old myth: the flight from disaster, the heroic refugee in search of a new home, a story that was already over a thousand years old when Vergil [sic] told it in 19 BC."[1]
Further Reading
Sequel - Tales from Watership DownThe Private Life of the Rabbit (1964), by British naturalist Ronald Lockley
Movie - Watership Down Check out Audible!
Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary. In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio. Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free.

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NewsTales of Beetle the Bard to be published Dec. 4
She will donate all monies to the Children’s Voice campaign. Amazon plans to produce 100 copies with the intention to duplicate the original look and feel of the book Amazon bought from her at auction for collectors that will go for $100 (recoup some of that money back) and the 157 page book will also have additional illustrations from the author. The standard edition will retail for $12.99

Watership Down First novel by Richard Adams Published in 1972 Was rejected by 13 publishers but has never been out of print since first published.Watership Down began as a story that Richard Adams told to his two children, Juliet and Rosamund, on a long car journey. Based on he Private Life of the Rabbit (1964), by British naturalist Ronald Lockley Anti-feminist? Misogynistic? Adapted into a film in 1978. Also made into a TV series in the UK int he early 1990s and a theater production as well.

Tayo - I just read "Feast of Souls" by C. S. Friedman and I cant recommend it highly enough. Fantastic. One of the most original new fantasies I have read since "Sabriel" by Garth Nix.

Simon - I have just finished reading the Terry Goodkind series 'Sword of Truth' and thought that I should tell you all that it was MEGA. Also if anyone has read this series then can you advise who to read next. I'm a bit stuck for ideas.

Giveaway!
We're giving away a Logitech USB Headset! Want it? Get creative! Write us a ONE LINE CLOSING SENTENCE to a science fiction or fantasy novel. See our last contest for a sample of a good opening line! We'll put the top choices up for a vote!
Check out Audible!Journey to a world beyond words with Audible Sci-Fi & Fantasy. Check out Audible for exclusive access to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy authors and exclusive commentary. In addition, the new imprint, Audible Frontiers features new and sometimes previously unavailable audio books made available for the first time in audio. Click here for a free trial offer and get your first audio book free.

Watership Down by Richard Adams is one of the first novels I remember reading (by myself, that is). I also remember being horrified, amazed, and entranced by it. It's definitely a classic, and I've always wanted to pick it up again and see how it affects me as an adult.
No voting this time! In case you missed the podcast last time around, we're making it a dictatorship instead of a democracy for this cycle. If there are other books you'd rather read, please do and tell us all about them in the forums! Otherwise, I really hope you enjoy this selection. You can find it in our store, or your local library!

We're back. Expect us monthly or twice monthly for now!
Sorry for the crappy headset sound, my external sound card is having problems!
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Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco
As compared to Dresden Files?
Let's turn to some forum comments from swordandlaser.ning.com!
terpkristin wasn't really excited about this choice but got it anyway she says "dang, that was quite a happy surprise. I think I'm going to get the next book in the Connor Grey series. Did anybody else have any expectations going in? Were you surprised (in a good way or bad)?"
Rick had the opposite reaction. He was jazzed to read it but... "I read through it in three days, and while the read was quick and easy, it just struck me as a not very well done Dresden Files clone. I was so disappointed. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but for me, I won't be looking for any more del Franco books in the near future."
Sam! said "As far as this one went, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Fun characters and a story that hooked me. I was particularly fond of Meryl. Actually, without saying too much, I found his female characterizations to be almost unanimously stronger than his male cast (aside from Joe, perhaps). Also, I was really satisfied with the ending, but there was still enough left unexplored and unanswered that I want to know what happens to Mr. Grey next."
GeekDad_4WD - "I think he is setting up a whole series of books starting with this one. I did not think the characters were stiff or flat. I think del Franco is waiting for the next book or two to really develop them. And I enjoyed the allusions to a past planet/existence/world concept."
Jimbo - "The only real issue I have with the novel is that it hints at past events, the convergence and fey conflict in WWII, that I find far more interesting than the main story. There are so many possibilities for interesting plots in the convergence. I also want to know what a fey war would be like. Would it be just magic or would they use human weapons also? I want to know!"
Next Book?
A dictatorship! Oh yes indeed.
Also, Tom loves WoW.

We're just starting the new story, but somehow we found a ton to talk about anyway!
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NEW BOOK!

Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco“In an alternate reality Boston where you are just as likely to see a troll or an elf walk down the street as you are to see a human, Fairy hustlers are winding up dead with their hearts cut out and replaced with stones. Druid Conner Grey uses his magical abilities to crack the case in this fun, interesting novel.”

Mark Del Franco takes an entirely straight-faced approach to the hard-boiled detective/police procedural template, keeping the snark to a minimum even when presenting us with dead fairy prostitutes.Mark Del Franco spent several years in the publishing field in editorial and administrative roles and in the institutional finance field as a proposal writer. He currently is pursuing a freelance career in both these fields.http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=190541030http://markdf.livejournal.com/FROM THE FORUMS

Actually, no one said elfpunk. But that's kind of way Tom and I are intrigued by this sub-genre. Yes, we've done cyberpunk before, but what about the gritty and enchanting synthesis of urban life and elves and fairies? Seeing as though I've never heard if the genre before, oh... today... we turned to the experts at Amazon to show us the light. Amazon user Luna Eclipse wrote up an amazing list of elfpunk novels, and here are the five I've selected for voting as well as the blurb written by Luna for context!
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

"Reminiscent of Holly Black's Tithe, Wicked Lovely follows the exploits of Aislinn, a teenage girl with The Sight. Having spent her entire life trying to avoid the fairies, she suddenly finds herself being sought after by their king, who believes she may be the queen he's been searching for."

"With no TV, no video games and no radio in sight, Kendra and Seth are prepared to be bored out of their minds while staying with their grandfather in his huge secluded manor while their parents enjoy themselves on a cruise...till they discover their grandfather is the guardian of Fablehaven, a sanctuary for all sorts of fairy tale creatures. A must have for all you fairy-lovers, young and old."

"If you are a fan of faeries, 80's music, and foppish attire, you will love this novel set in 1987 Minneapolis. This book was kind of slow at times but it was still pretty good. I absolutely adore the Phouka!

"In an alternate reality Boston where you are just as likely to see a troll or an elf walk down the street as you are to see a human, Fairy hustlers are winding up dead with their hearts cut out and replaced with stones. Druid Conner Grey uses his magical abilities to crack the case in this fun, interesting novel."

Voting closes at midnight on the 19th, so get those votes in! All books available on the S&L store either way.
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I think the most interesting sections of this part of the book are the implications that what the Overlords are doing is not for the benefit of mankind. Especially that last line, "the stars are not for man." This was mostly clearly spelled out to me at the end of chapter six, "If, indeed, it was altruism. For there were still some who wondered if the policies of the Overlords would always coincide with the true welfare of humanity."

In fact, I think it's almost ironic that Clarke titles this section, "The Golden Age." Although Earth is at peace and prosperous there's this continuous implication that the Overlords have transformed the planet into a giant playground. I think this is what's kept humanity from struggling to rebel or oppose the Overlords.

I think this is a really interesting theme in the book. There are other science fiction novels and movies that show humans encountering a hostile alien species and then struggling to match their level of technology. Here, Clarke shows humans encountering a mostly (or at least, apparently) benign species and this crushing our drive for progress.

Also, on a side note, did anyone else notice Clarke anticipating DNA paternity tests and the Pill and the effects this would have on sexual mores?

It seemed like humanity was gently forced down a path that optimistically, I'd hope we would have travelled down eventually on are own. Perhaps, there was a time crunch and this needed to happen in 100 years instead of 200 or 300. The statements made in the book by Kallaren that the Overlords saved humans from 'certain nuclear anihalation' never did sit right with me. Perhaps in the 50's it was easier to belieive remarks like this, but I think the world is smarter now than it was then and don't feel that nuclear war is our destiny. Perhaps the Overlords are an insurance plan by the Overmind to ensure that the potential races don't destroy themselves. This again begs the big question...what gives them the right to do this?

I agree with many other statements made in the discussions, that it seems like we had to give up an aweful lot to move to the next state of being. As a human, I enjoy my individuality. As a parent, I would find it horrifying for my kids to eventually be taken away from me, first mentally and then physically, even if I knew it was the natural course of things.

One question I have, do you think any race ever decided NOT to join with the Overmind? If so, what happened?

As well as reading Sci-Fi I love to watch old Sci-Fi movies & t.v. shows. Movies such as Metropolis or The Day the Earth Stood Still. What good, bad or quirky shows do people out there like? One really bad film I liked because it was so bad ( and it had my other favourite genre Christmas), starred Victor Mature & involved the Martians kidnapping Santa. Cannot think of its name, so if you know lets hear fom you.

Vir Cotto

Contest Winners - Top 3Winner gets a copy of Mass Effect for the Xbox 360!
Nick As the shock wave raced across the planet, Jared's final thought was admitting to himself: "Those damn scientists were right all along".

Jonathan As Naomi Nakonis stared with a sinking stomach at her rented body's scaley protrusions and prehensile tail, she knew with absolute certainty how right her roommate's advice had been: never go on a blind date with a man who suggests getting to know each other over inter-species consciousness transfer.

Martin Prior to December 13, 2008 many believed the world would be a better place with a few million fewer people; unfortunately for the survivors this turned out not to be the case.
[poll=6]
EMAIL

Hello,

After listening to your previous ramblings about the capcha crapsta, I decided to ask some blind friends about this situation and boy did I get a response. The biggest complaint I found was the fact that Sword and Laser is run on Ning which uses inaccessible capchas for registration. So much for Tom's building a community for the sci-fi readers. I guess that community is qualified by saying, no blind people allowed man! Queue the Molly, "Oh Snap!"

What say you Tom Merritt and the new co-host of Tekzilla, Veronica? What say you?

Keep up the somewhat good work.. *wink*

Thumbs up for Sean of Georgia! I'm not sure if that is technically possible but good thought.

-- Rodney EdgarT&V,

I'm not sure whether L.Neil would be your cup of tea. He currently has his first and most successful/famous novel, The Probability Broach, turned graphic and free to read on the web. (link below) Or you could buy it or borrow it (library?) either graphic or text. This is "libertarian" scifi. In the vein of Heinlein. I know you guys are really busy but it is pretty fast reading and I'm curious as to you younguns' take. As an author L. Neil is experimenting with a number of models to not only publish but get paid. Kind of interesting the "community" approach that is possible with the internet.

How convinient! The 5th episode of the podcast falls on the eve of our 5th book, Childhood's End! Here are the show notes for today's episode:
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Arthur C. Clarke Built first telescope at 13. Great fan of "Astounding Stories" Served in Air Force through World War II Attended King's College London and took a degree in physics and mathematics Prelude To Space was published in 1951 (First published novel) Also published a short story called "The Sentinel" which inspired Stanley Kubrick to make 2001: A Space Odyssey. May don't realize 2001 the book is a novelization of the movie. Won the Hugo and Nebula awards for 1973 Rendezvous with Rama He was Knighted in 1998
Comments from Childhood's End Grouphttp://swordandlaser.ning.com/group/childhoodsend

We're back full-speed ahead into the science fiction genre with Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. The book (as well as the other voting nominees) are now available in the S&L Store, or where ever you pick up your books! Here's a little bit of a review to whet your appetite:
It sounds like a story you've heard before: great alien masters descend on Earth and take control of the world, ushering in a golden age that may be cleverly disguised creative slavery. But Clarke's legendary novel (equal to Rendezvous with Rama and 2001: A Space Odyssey in fame) isn't about a human rebellion against alien overlords, but the evolution of humanity into its next stage, and the ultimate dwarfing power of the unknowable order of the cosmos.
I'm really looking forward to this one! Join the discussion group here. We'll be releasing another podcast episode in the next couple of days, intro-ing the book and discussing some other the themes (among other topics, of course). If you have anything you'd like us to talk about, email your suggestions to theswordandlaser [at] gmail [dot] com.

We're finally back with the Sword and Laser podcast, after a long hiatus! Thanks for sticking with us. Listen in to find the new info about how we'll cover books in the future. Here are the shownotes for this episode:
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Winner of the contest -- Xanar!!
She wins a copy of Mass Effect!
Passing of Arthur C. Clarke
Next book will be one of his, voting goes up tonight:
Rendezvous with Rama
2001: A Space Odyssey
Childhood's End
Songs of Distant Earth
Pocket and the Pendant, by Mark Jeffery:
Free audio book on Podiobooks

We learned today of the passing of famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. He was 90 years old. He was a brilliant writer, and many people came to love the genre of science fiction through his books. There's a really excellent article in the New York Times about his life and work. It seems to me that our next book should be one of his, in tribute.

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The "lost" Episode 3 is gone forever, but we have an even better new Episode 3 covering the rest of Shopping Trip and Midnight in the Rue Jules Verne. Plus we unveil a special contest with your chance to win a prize. But you have to listen to find out the deets! (Or trawl the Ning group, I guess. But just listen anyway, it's fun.)